NORFOLK, VA--ODU junior Ben Verlander (Maidens, VA) knocked in four runs to lead the Monarchs (17-14) to a 7-4 victory over the Richmond Spiders (21-10) Tuesday night at the Bud Metheny Baseball Complex. The Monarchs have won four in a row.

Trailing, 1-0 in the bottom of the third, ODU scored four runs with the help of a three-run homer by Verlander, this week's CAA Player of the Week. His CAA leader 10th homer plated freshman Connor Myers (Middletown, MD.), and Tyler Urps (Wilton, CA.). Later in the inning freshman Jordan Negrini (Kihei, HI) for a 4-1 ODU lead.

Tyler Urps singled in Mike Perez (Fairfax Station, VA.) in the fourth for a 5-1 lead. The Spiders closed to within one run with an RBI double by Cory Moheit in the fifth, then in the sixth inning RBI's from Adam Forrer and Jansen Fraser to make it 5-4.

ODU added insurance runs in the seventh as Verlander singled home Tyler Urps and Negrini later brought home freshman Brian Beard (Chesapeake, VA.) with a sacrifice fly.

Sophomore Brandon Smith (Chesapeake, VA.) picked up his sixth save of the season. Junior
Brett Harris (Chesapeake, VA.), the 2009 CAA Rookie Of the Year made his first start in over a year, and went three innings allowing just one run o one hit, with two walks and one strikeout.

Three Monarchs, Verlander, Tyler Urps each had two hits on the night for ODU while Jacob Mayers and Cory Moheit had two hits each for Richmond.

The Monarchs travel to Hempstead, NY for a three-game CAA series at Hofstra beginning Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.